The Sacred Sisterhood

Women in our society, and many other societies throughout the world have something in common, and that is the odds are balanced against us.

In our lives, no matter who we are, or where we are, or what our situations are, there is no denying that we struggle with inequality and injustice to some degree, for being women. It is for this reason alone, that each one of us should value the sisterhood.

We are the sisterhood. All of us. Our sisters are the ones who will be there in the world of tomorrow, where our children have grown and left, and where our lovers and our men have departed. It is our sisters who are there for us to hear words we cannot say elsewhere. It is our sisters that keep our secrets, and carry with them our much needed, but harmless rants and rages at the world. It is our sisters that share in the weight of the world, for they too have experienced it. It is our sisters that remind us of the reality. And it is from them that we get feedback about ourselves, our behaviours, our problems, our thoughts, our hopes, fears, dreams and plans. With our sisters, we are able to grow into womanhood as whole women.

Like blood kin, we do not always get along with our sisters, and that is okay too, given we continue to respect and believe in the sacredness of the sisterhood. As I am discovering, it does not require a close woman-friendship to share something intimate and special with another woman. All it takes is a shared respect for other women’s unique needs and struggles in a world that is dominantly anti-woman.

So my words to you are; Do something woman-centred with another woman or a group of women. Bring up the idea in your circle of sister-women. It can be something as simple as exchanging massages of choice or going for a skinny dip somewhere private and isolated. Even a sleepover can be fun once the kids are asleep or otherwise occupied – share in a drool-fest with popcorn, or participate in self-care of each other. If money is to be had (and spent), a weekend away is a fantastic idea.

Rejoice in the sisterhood and celebrate it, strengthening its roots within you and other women so that it is there when you need it, and most importantly so that it is there even when you don’t need it. The world needs well nurtured, happy, strong women, not women that are constantly in need thanks to patriarchy.

Lisa is a co-admin of Whole Woman, and the writer of the Wyld Womyn column. If she isn't fiddling with I.T. geeky stuff, she is chasing kids (or animals) around. At the end of the day if she is lucky, she gets time to write!